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How do you solve a problem like Everton?

Everton boss David Moyes has kept the club competitive, despite lack of investment at the club

Everton Football Club is one of the oldest institutions in the history of the English game.

The Toffee’s have a proud history, but haven’t claimed an English title since 1987.

In recent years, David Moyes has restored some pride to the boys in blue, after the club struggled against the threat of relegation for much of the 1990’s and early 2000’s.

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There are no such relegation worries at Goodison these days, instead there is only fans thinking what if?

Everton are tantalisingly close to breaking into that top four of the Premier League. Had luck and decisions been different earlier in the season the Toffee’s could now be in the top four.

Trouble

The trouble that Everton currently has is that they do not have the financial backing of the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea. This lack of financial backing has led highly-rated boss David Moyes to consider his future.

The Scot’s contract expires this summer. Word was that the former-Preston boss had become disillusioned with fighting above the clubs financial weight every season and was ready to move on in search of a fresh challenge.

However, recent interviews seem to point to him signing a new contract. He has built a very capable first team, on by Premier League standards is a meagre budget.

Some say that Moyes’ has taken Everton as far he can take them. If he does leave, he will leave behind a team that will no doubt be competing at the top of the Premier League next season once again.

I do not think even the most anti-Moyes Everton fan could deny that he has moved the team forward immensely in recent years. Everton as a team are completely unrecognisable from the one team that Moyes took control of 11 years ago.

Value

David Moyes has managed to get some remarkable value for money since he took over at the club. The Scot has had to be canny with his transfers, but has played the market really. Full-back Leighton Baines and influential midfielder Marouane Fellaini have attracted the interest of some England’s richer clubs.

Both have been outstanding this season for the Toffee’s, but if either were to leave the club this summer then the Toffees bank balance would look a lot healthier. In an ideal world, Moyes would be building a team around these sorts of players.

However, it seems that Fellaini at least looks destined to leave Goodison Park this summer. As influential as Fellaini is, David Moyes could probably bring in three more players for the money that Fellaini is likely to bring in.

That is the harsh reality for Moyes and Everton now, they have to sell to buy and there is only so long you can do that and remain competitive. The Scot has managed to keep Everton competitive, which is quite remarkable when you think of the clubs net spend over the last decade.

Investment

Everton have been looking for fresh investment for a long time now. It is a mystery as to why nobody has invested in Everton. Toffee’s chairman Bill Kenwright claims that he is always talking to investor’s, but nobody suitable has come along.

It just seems incredible to me that a big investor has not saw the potential in Everton as a football club. It would not take much to make Everton a top four club. The Blues have a proud history and are just outside the top four.

They seem like an ideal club opportunity for investors. The biggest problem for Everton seems to be the grand old lady of Goodison Park. It once was a state of the art ground, one of the first stadiums to get under soil heating in fact.

Goodison is a very old-fashioned stadium that when Everton fans are on song rocks, sometimes literally. It produces the sort of atmosphere that very few of the modern arenas can manage.

Despite the stadium producing such a fantastic atmosphere on its day, Goodison Park has fallen behind badly compared to modern stadiums. Should investors take control of the club then they would have to look at the stadium issue once again.

Maybe investors are not keen on buying Everton because they would most likely have to deal with the prospect of building a new stadium and that could prove very costly.

Top six

Everton host Fulham at Goodison Park later today. The Toffee’s have enjoyed a very good season and a place in the top six would not be a bad result for the Blues of Merseyside. However, it could have been so much better for the Toffees.

Investment in a few new signings in January could have helped the tired and ailing Everton team push on for a top four place and a place amongst Europe’s elite. Unfortunately, a place in the top four looks just beyond the Toffee’s this season.

There does not look to be a white knight ready to ride into Goodison with the desperately investment any time. However, I am sure that Everton will continue to be competitive. Without investment though the Toffees will most likely always be the nearly men, which is a crying shame.